New Coach, Same Odds For Washington Redskins In 2010

NFL News - February 19th, 2010 - Written by John Ritter

So things didn't go exactly right in Washington in 2009. Despite Daniel Snyder's attempts to quell fan displeasure by briefly banning signs in FedEx Field, there was nothing he could do to prevent a last-place finish in the NFC East. In arguably the fiercest division in football, the Redskins floundered to a 4-12 record with zero wins against Dallas, Philadelphia and New York.

But they hope to have the answer this time around. Trashed is the plan to go with a rookie head coach, and in is Mike Shanahan and his 153-102 career record. Shanahan led the Denver Broncos to two Super Bowl championship in the late 90s, and Washington is hoping for a renaissance. But there are a lot of decisions to be made to turn the ship around, and for the moment, the Redskins are a 55/1 underdog to win it all in 2010, according to NFL Betting Lines.

Most of those questions surround the offense, which is considered relatively expendable in all directions. Clinton Portis is expected to be back, but that could change at a moment's notice with a banged up body and declining performance. In '09, the former Pro Bowler ran for a career-low 494 yards and reached 100 yards only once against Kansas City. His four yards per carry was third-lowest in his eight-year career. But the options after him were limited. Rock Cartwright got most of the carries otherwise, and averaged just 3.6 yards per.

Handing him the ball will likely be Jason Campbell for another season, but new head coaches usually call for a new quarterback. Forecasters have eyed the draft as a location for a new signal caller. And at the fourth spot, Washington will probably have a good shot at one of the top-two. But Campbell may get another crack at it simply because he showed flashes of ability last year and finished with an 86.4 rating. His two best games came against two of the best teams in the league. In an overtime loss to the New Orleans Saints, Campbell competed 71-percent of his passes for 367 yards and three touchdowns. In the season-finale, he went for 281 yards and two scores against the San Diego Chargers.

The good news is Shanahan will have plenty of time to work with the offense, because the defense seems to be just fine. It was the 10th-ranked unit in the league with the eighth-most sacks. It actually allowed the second-fewest points in the division.

London Fletcher made his first Pro Bowl with 142 tackles, and Brian Orakpo tied Andre Carter with 11 sacks in his rookie season.